Looking for a job is very competitive. If you are only applying to jobs online you will encounter substantial competition. At MediaJobs.com our objective is to make it as easy as possible to find a job at a great company and with the least amount of competition.

At MediaJobs.com we have established our mission ofFinding the Great Companies First. In keeping with our mission we have created this interview series with some of the newest startups in the New York City market area. We encourage you to learn about some of the newest companies and think about what might be a good fit for you.

What is the name and location of your company and who are the founders?

My company is eFit Connect, it is a SAAS platform with headquarters based out of Highland Mills, NY. eFit Connect was founded by Jordan Hauge, of Highland Mills, NY and Darius Strong of Queens, NY.

How did the idea for your start-up come about?

I (Jordan) developed a deep interest in fitness my sophomore year of college, and quickly realized through experience, that the demand for health and fitness professionals is high. While there are many professionals working to make a living helping others achieve their goals, it can be very difficult to find the professional that suits the client’s specific needs the best.

eFit Connect is the manifestation of that revelation. It acts as a resource for those looking for health & fitness direction and aims to close the gap between those who need guidance reaching their goals, and those who can help get them there.

Of the key people involved, what is everyone’s experience and background?

Jordan Hauge holds a BFA of Fine Art from SUNY at Buffalo. He began working as a freelance web development and design professional freshman year of college. He has experience working with corporations as large as Citigroup, Inc. as well as experience with medium to small startups. He has done high profile web design and development work for Geico, Esurance, Ameriprise, Citigroup, etc.

He was a state level competitive swimmer in high school and has always had an interest in physical fitness and living a healthy lifestyle.

Darius Strong has done work for many companies as a freelance web developer. He is an avid basketball player, coder and tech geek. He has experience in web development, application development and a little in video game programming with resources Autodesk Maya and Unity 3D.

How do you see your company creating value or disrupting an existing market?

eFit Connect comes to the health & fitness market at a time when one of the biggest trends as a society is to live life healthy, and maintain a high level of physical fitness. Through connecting health & fitness professionals with those that are looking to hire them, eFit Connect is creating a more cohesive marketplace in an industry that is expected to grow by 31.7% through 2020. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

When was the business founded and how are you being funded?

eFit Connect, LLC was founded in Late 2013 with MVP (minimal viable product) reaching market mid-2015. Currently the company is not funded by any external resource, and all investments come from the founding parties.

If so, whom are you currently funded by?

eFit Connect is not currently funded.

What is the current size of your business, number of employees?

Currently the only employees of eFit Connect are the two people who founded the company, although resources are getting thin, and we need to begin growing.

If you are seeking further funding, how much and for what purpose will the new funds be applied?

We are seeking funding at this time for eFit Connect in order to begin bringing on more resources to help in marketing and development efforts, and grow the company. We are looking for up to 250,000 in initial resources to bring on some contractors and further accelerate marketing campaigns.

What is the product and or service you are providing?

eFit Connect provides a resource for people looking for health & fitness guidance to find the resources best suited to help them reach their goals. Clients can search for experts in many different health & fitness related fields, schedule appointments, and pay providers online.

Appointments can be scheduled for one-on-one or group sessions either in person or online via webcam. This means that physical distance no longer plays a role in who a person seeking guidance can choose to work with to reach their health & fitness goals.

eFit Connect also provides health & fitness facility and employee management services that can help facilities gain new clients and increase revenue while allowing members to schedule and pay for individual and group sessions online, or on location.

Explain how you are seeking entry into your marketplace.

Since mid-2015, eFit Connect has gained 50 users (professional and client users) and expects that number to grow by 150% by the end of the year 2015. Through social media channels, word of mouth, and traditional sales tactics, eFit Connect is expecting continued accelerated growth in the health & fitness marketplace.

What seems to be the biggest strengths of the team so far?

The biggest strengths of the current team are conceptualizing and developing new unique features that currently don’t exist elsewhere on other SAAS platforms in this marketplace giving us an advantage when it comes to marketing the product to potential users.

What was your greatest “Ah –Ha” moment to date?

The biggest ‘Ah-ha’ moment that we have had is probably the decision to integrate facility & employee management features into our current platform which focuses on solely fitness professional schedule management. Integrating facilities will give us an edge on our competitors by allowing facilities to be discovered by interested potential members, allow members to interact with the facility and sign up for memberships, classes/sessions on the go, and linking their employees on the platform with the facility – increasing exposure and maximizing revenue streams.

What was the funniest thing that has happened?

To date, the funniest, or rather most interesting turn of events is the way the partnership formed. Jordan discovered Darius on freelancer.com while searching for a new partner after having several that did not work out. Since meeting online, the two of us have been working on and creating an amazing platform which is the product of collaboration and strong teamwork. Fun fact: We still have yet to meet in person.

If you can only do one thing in your industry, what would that be?

I (Jordan) would continue my work on researching and developing solutions to bring clients the most qualified professional for their unique needs, as I am passionate about helping people reach their goals and this is an important step in making that happen.

I (Darius) would continue developing the new unique features that will help people reach their fullest fit potential.